Joint construction



Aug. 26, 1947. R. E. KLAGES ET AL 26,358

' JOINT CONSTRUCTION Filed May 21, 1945 ey o/a f. Wages ATTORNEY Patented Aug. 26, 1947 JOINT CONSTRUCTION Reynold E. Klages' and William A. Flumerfelt, Columbus, Ohio, assignors to The Columbus Auto Parts Company, Columbus, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application May 21, 1945, Serial No. 594,890 5 Claims. (01. 287-87) This invention relates to an improved ball and socket joint particularly adapted for use in steering connections for automobiles and has for an object thereof, the provision of an improved ball and socket joint which is automatically self adlusting to compensate for wear, in which the efiiciency thereof and life of the joint is greatly enhanced. A feature of the invention is to provide an improved construction which maintains a proper axial relative adjustment of the center of the ball in the socket in use and in which the formation of shoulders or irregular or undue wear of the housing or parts is avoided and interference with the proper operation of the take-up means is eliminated.

Other objects and advantages are within the scope of this invention such as relate to the arrangement, operation and function of the related elements of the structure, to various details of construction and to combinations of parts, elements per se, and to economics of manufacture and numerous other features as will be apparent from a consideration of the specification and drawings of a form of the invention, which may be preferred, in which:

Figure I is a sectional view showing one embodiment of our improved combination, while Figure II is a similar view of a modified embodiment thereof; 7

Figures III and IV are perspective views of types of liners which may be used in the embodiment of Figure II.

In the construction of the embodiment illustrated in Figure I, the housing In is provided with a cylindrical bore H, one end of the housing l having an inturned flange l2 so that the housing has an opening [3 for receiving the shank I4 of the ball stud, which has a ball l5 positioned Within the housing. The ball I5 is positioned substantially centrally within the opening II of the housing as shown and is surrounded or embraced by a pair of ball seats l6 and II, which have inner bearing surfaces shaped to conform to that of the ball l5 and these ball seats l6 and I1, when inserted in the joint, are spaced from each other along their opposite edges as shown in the drawings. The outer surfaces of said ball seats l6 and I! are substantially semi-cylindrical in shape as indicated, in order to receive correspondingly shaped wedges 2E] and 2!, which form the means for causing take-up for wear between the ball l5 and the ball seats. To this end, the wedges 20 and 2! also have cylindrical outer surfaces conforming to and fitting within the cylindrical bore or opening II in the housing 10. In the particular embodiments shown, it will be noted that the inner cylindrical surfaces of the wedges 20 and 2| have their axes inclined to the vertical, in this way forming the wedge configuration; and it is also evident that the ball seats I6 and I! are arranged so that their c'ylindrical outer surfaces are inclined to conform thereto.

A washer 25 is located at the lower end of the wedges so that a coiled compressed spring 26 may bear against the same to normally urge the wedges upwardly in the construction shown. A disc 21 is fitted into a groove 28 at the lower end of the housing It, and the lower rim of the housing may be turned over said disc, as indicated at 29, to form a satisfactory retaining means for the compressed spring 26.

An important feature of the present invention, as embodied in the illustration in Figure I, resides in the fact that the upper end of the bore I l in the housing I0 is provided with an annular enlargement 3|] extending downwardly from the inturned flange l2 a sufiicient distance to overlap the upper edge of the wedges 20 and 2| when the ball joint is originally assembled so that at no time will the upper edge or rim of the wedges 20 and 2| come in contact with the wall I I.

In the construction of the embodiment illustrated in Figure II the housing ID is provided with the cylindrical bore II, as before, and the inturned flange l2 forming the opening l3 for receiving the shank of the ball stud with the ball l5 positioned within the housing. The pair of ballseats l6 and II, which have bearing surfaces shaped to conform to that of the ball l5 and outer surfaces substantiall semi-cylindrical in shape are used with the cooperating wedges 2D and 2! which have cylindrical outer surfaces conforming to and fitting within a cylindrical liner 35 hereinafter described and located Within the open II of the housing Hi, formed and arranged as illustrated in Figure II. The spring 26 is also interposed between the washer 25 and the closing disc 21 as in the other embodiment.

In the embodiment of Figure II, instead of employing the annular recess 30 we insert in the inner wall of the housing H! a liner 35 preferably hardened so that the upper rim of the wedges 20 and 2| can not form a shoulder on the wall II to prevent the spring 26 from properly moving the wedges and taking up for wear. In Figure III, for example we have illustrated a cylinder 35 forming the liner, whereas in Figure IV a split ring 35' to expand into position is shown to be used in the embodiment illustrated in Figure II. Other types of liners may be employed and suitable tight fit, in any instance, is secured between the liner 35 or 35' and the bore ll of the housing Hi.

It will thus be seen that with our invention, in use, which subjects the wedges 20 and 2| to movement within the housing H], the upper edge or rim thereof can not gouge the/material of the inner wall of thehousing II to form rough'sure faces or shoulders, which would otherwise prevent an efficient, proper, or long-lived and successa ful operation of the construction. Moreover, ,in the embodiments shown, the take-up for wear caused by the expansion of thespring 2B. in turn moving the wedges 20 and ,-2.| upwardly. continue ously, forces the ball seats l6 and I1 radially into tight and satisfactory contact with the surface of the ball l without displacing-theccenter.thereof with respect to the housing It).

With our invention regardless of severezstrains in use, tending to cause pounding between the internal bore-of the'socket and-thewedgewe have discovered in the arrangement disclosed herein, means for preventing this, action from'interfering with the automatictake-upandthat by-our construction the seatsand wedges will remain -,tight against the surface of :the ballon the one hand, and the internal bore ,ofthe socket-on the O her hand.

It is apparent that, within the scope-of the inventi0n, m0difications and difierent arrangements may be made other than is herein disclosed, and the present disclosure is illustrative merely, the invention comprehending all variations thereoi.

What we claim is:

1. In combination, a housing; a bal-l of a ball stud located inside said housing; ball seats around said ball; wedgingmeans contactingsaid seats, and located withinsaid housing; means-for moving said wedging means to cause said seatsto take up aroundsaid ball upon wear; and means to prevent shoulder formations from being ,produced between said wedgingmeansand.said-housing during useof said joint.

v2. In combination, a housing; :a ball-of a ball stud located inside saidhousing;.ballseats'around said ball; wedgingmeans ccntactingsaid seats, and located within said housing; ,means for moving said wedging means ,to cause .said seats to take up around said ball upon .wear; and lining means between said .wedging means and-saidjhousing to prevent wear between said housing and wed ng means.

3. In combination, a housinghaving a, cylindrical inner wall; a ball of a ballstudinsidesaid -:due to the action of said wedges on said inner wall .of saidhousing.

'4; In aball and socket joint, a housing having amain cylindrical inner wall and an enlargement locatedat-an end of said housing and connected withsa'id maininner Wall; a ball of a ball stud located inside said housing; ball seat and takeup membersinterposed between said cylindrical wall and said ball, an end of a take-up member extending beyond said cylindrical wall and into said enlargement of said housing; spring means acting on saidimembers totake up forwear between the co-acting elements of saidjoint, said housing enlargementpreventing shoulder formatiQ JS, dueitomovement-ot the co-acting elements relative to theinnel. Cylindrical wall of said housins durin th peration Qf ,saidloint in use.

5,.,In combination, a housing, a ball of a ball stud'located'inside, said housing;'bal1 seats around said ball; Wedging means contactin said seats, and'located within said housin means'for moving said wedging means relative, to the inner wallqf. said housi in the di cti of t 10 gitudinal axi f he Jo ta ta e up for wea said .wed in eans h n ha d ned surfaces and said wedging means and said'housing being con truc ed w t he t rm nati g inne wa l f said housi g l cated a r ater distanc from said lo itu i a a is an outer movin ed enorime 0. a d we gi s me th by formin m e s'tq pre en shoulde f at ns f om. ein rqduced b een sai de means and sa d, hous d r g use of said jo n M A- LUMERFEZL-T- REFERENCES CITED Ifhe following -.references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,95 ,197 M ll an Ma 13, 1934 1,799,141 Hufierd etal. V vMar. 31,1931 

